THE parents of a young girl who has been living with a rare cancer for much of her life have launched a new fundraising effort to help her beat the disease.

Flora Gentleman, previously of Aberlady and now living in Haddington, was diagnosed with stage four neuroblastoma when she was just two years old.

Her family were told the devastating news that the disease had a 40-50 per cent chance of long-term survival.

In a new fundraising effort, Flora’s mum has organised a raffle with the chance to win a new fully fitted bathroom, with all proceeds being donated to the youngster’s fight against cancer.

At the beginning of April 2021, after finding a large tumour next to one of her kidneys and cancer in her skull, behind her eyes and in her bone marrow, Flora was diagnosed with neuroblastoma.

She immediately began intensive treatment at the Royal Hospital for Children & Young People in Edinburgh to treat the disease.

This included multiple rounds of chemotherapy, a seven-hour surgery to remove her tumour, five weeks of high-dose chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant in isolation, radiotherapy and immunotherapy, alongside countless scans and tests, general anaesthetics and blood transfusions.

After finishing treatment in August 2022, resulting scans showed no evidence of active disease.

The next step was to help prevent the cancer’s return and hopefully ensure Flora could lead a more normal life.

Flora’s family appealed for help to raise money so that she could enrol on a bivalent vaccine clinical trial in New York, with the aim of keeping the cancer away.

People from throughout East Lothian and beyond organised events and donations to help. After successful fundraising efforts, Flora participated in the trial in 2022.

However last September, a year into the trial, Flora’s family were given the devastating news that her cancer had returned – just before her fifth birthday.

READ MORE: Family 'devastated' after Flora's cancer returns

Since then, Flora has restarted NHS treatment and undergone 10 cycles of a chemotherapy and immunotherapy combination.

However, this will not cure her – there is currently no known cure for relapsed neuroblastoma. Instead, the youngster is relying on clinical trials and experimental treatments.

Her family are now trying to raise £189,000 to access the clinical trial in New York for a second time, to hopefully prevent Flora from relapsing again.

So far, the appeal has raised more than £172,000, putting it more than 90 per cent of the way to its target.

In an effort to raise enough money to fund Flora’s trial, Lewis Knight, from TKS Plumbing, has organised a raffle with the prize of a brand-new bathroom installation.

Tom Knight & Son Plumbing and Heating company, based in East Lothian, is offering the winner a fully fitted bathroom suite to the value of £10,000, roping in a full team of labourers and suppliers for installation.

All proceeds are donated to Flora’s fight, with entries £40.

Flora’s family hope that the raffle will be enough to boost the fundraiser so that it reaches the target.

Flora’s mum Stephanie said: “Without the vaccine trial in New York, we can say with confidence that Flora will relapse again.

“Although there are no guarantees that the vaccine will be the cure we so desperately want for Flora, it brings us hope.”

The competition is open to anyone across Scotland, with the winner announced in the coming months.

Go to donate.justgiving.com/page/florascampaignbathroomgiveaway to enter.